East Midlands: Green Party thanks voters who supported them in European elections

Guardian News

The East Midlands Green Party has expressed it’s thanks to the 67000 people across the region who took their message of ‘Hope not Hate’ to heart and supported them in the European Election.

‘Of course I am disappointed not to win a seat to represent the people of East Midlands in the European Parliament,’ Kat Boettge, the Green’s lead candidate said. ‘But I am very grateful to all those people who took note of our serious message, not just about the problems we face, but also the Greens clear and workable policies to sort out these problems. I have spoken to so many people who have told me that they are pleased to see an alternative to the ‘business as usual’ approach of all the other parties. While we are disappointed with our result, it will not stop us campaigning on these policies that a growing number of people are coming to recognise, offer a fair and workable way out of our many difficulties.’

The Green Party now have three seats in the European Parliament, retaining two in London and the South East and gaining one in the South West. Their MEP’s will join the Green Group in the European Parliament that remains the fourth largest group.

Kat Boettge noted that while their overall vote in the East Midlands fell below what they achieved in the 2009 election, there were a number of encouraging local results. ‘We polled over 11% in High Peak and over 9% in Rushcliffe, Nottingham and in Derbyshire Dales. Considering that we don’t have the advantage of having big donors to bankroll our campaign and that we got little media attention, these results are a tribute to the very hard work done by members in in those constituencies and across the whole of the East Midlands. The most encouraging aspect of this campaign is the growth in Party membership that is well ahead of the target we set at the beginning of the year.